there is a push today to clean up your drinking water. see who is behind it. snow on the ground level in the bay area? i'm bob redell, we'll find out what the consensus is among local meteorologists coming up. it is tuesday, february 22nd, "today in the bay." good morning, everybody. thank you for joining us. it is now straight up 6:00. i'm brent cannon. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. it is also cold out there, hopefully you can warm up the car a little bit. we'll check in with christina and a look at our forecast. hopefully you have a seat warmer in your car. it is one of those mornings when you need the heat. 35 degrees in concord. 35 in fairfield. below freezing in santa rosa at 31 degrees. you'll need to give yourself a little extra time to get that frost off the windshield in some of the colder areas. we'll see a lot of sunshine today with temperatures in the

50s. you'll need a jacket throughout the day. it is nice and warm here in the studio, but you know, sometimes we have to send our reporters out into the elements. 35 degrees in concord. only one man for the job, who can control the cold? who can take it? bob redell, how are you doing out there? >> reporter: i would be the guy without his gloves this morning. good morning to you. we are out here getting a cold blast of air from the delta bringing down the temperatures. we are also out here because we hear talk of possibly snow down at sea level come friday night/saturday morning. i want to keep you up here, christina, i read a quote from one other meteorologist saying one of their other meteorologists said there could be snow in san francisco. there was not much consensus there. i'm curious on your thoughts on the chances of snow coming down between you, robin and jeff. >> i can't speak for robin or jeff but i can speak for my expertise. what i think is going to happen

is a 500-foot level. we have a lot of time before saturday morning to continue to update what's going to happen with this system. the timing will be key if it arrives in the morning, which is the coldest time of the day for us, then, yes, it is possible. unlikely still, but it is possible. and it has happened before as you reported earl earlier, ten times many the past. bob redell, this morning on your way out there, did you notice frosty windshields out there in con zmord. >> reporter: surprisingly, no. even though i know it is 35, it is more of a type of situation where you do have to be out here when you start to lose feeling in your knuckles. you look at the concord b.a.r.t. station, there's fog on the windshield, but nothing ice scraper worthy. we do have snow on the higher elevations out here, 2,000 feet and above. mount diablo has it. mount hamilton has it. i was on the phone with the deputy director of lake observatory saying they still had six inches up there. it is such a serious situation that authorities have shut down

the road to mount hamilton, but that should open within the next few hours. for more on the road conditions, we'll go over to mike inouye. we'll take you out there. we are talking about the possibility of scraping off your windshield. keep that in mind. to the maps over on the peninsula, one note is weather-related. it is foggy there. but we have an accident following southbound 101 at whipple road. the chopper could be over the accident. there they are. this is looking like it is off 101 on whipple. so we have a lot of flashing lights with chopper giving us a wider shot. just off highway 101. better news for the commute because it was reportedly blocking one lane. but as chopper arrives it is off the main freeway. there's a hit-and-run reported on the freeway. it looks like the truck there on the bottom corner got knocked off the roadway. crews are clearly there. the ambulance is on the scene as well as fire and paramedics. possibly the whipple road there. that's going on near the side of the freeway.

meanwhile, in the same area, 101 is clear but 280 has a fog advisory. it could be potentially very low visibilities crossing over crystal springs reservoir. keep that in mind. we'll look out to a live look to see what's going on near the bay bridge toll plaza. here's a light volume at the toll plaza. over the next half hour we'll see crowding with things slow. meter gt metering lights at 6:25 likely. a tough day ahead as students head back to the class for the first time since hearing two classmates died over the week. gavin powell was 17 years old. here is marla tellez with more. >> reporter: good morning, it was a four-day weekend for students at las lomas high school. instead of returning to class rested and ready to go, it is safe to say they will be returning with heavy rearts hearts. that's why grief counselors are

scheduled to be on hand this morning to help them deal with the tragic los of matthew miller and gavin powell. they were juniors at the school and also best friends for years. this morning autopsy results confirm the two drowned after attempting to raft down a rushing creek here in walnut creek on saturday. and they were wearing helmets but not wearing life jackets. meantime, a memorial is building this morning where the teens launched their raft and entered the creek. that's about a mile from the high school. friend are posting signs and leaving behind flowers. we spoke to gavin powell's uncle who says his nephew was warned by his mother not to test the waters. >> he approached the subject, wouldn't it be cool to maybe raft down the creek. and she kind of went ballistic on him and told him that was probably the dumbest thing you could think of. it obviously didn't sink in. >> reporter: if you would like to pay your respects, a

candlelight vigil is scheduled for tomorrow night. that's wednesday night here in walnut creek from 6:00 to 8:00 at the southerland drive entrance to shell ridge open space. also this coming weekend a memorial service is planned for matthew miller sunday afternoon at 2:00 at congregation benet tikba in walnut creek. the school starts at 8:00 this morning, so we are still two hours away. no students just yet, but again, when they do arrive at las lomas high school this morning they have the option of meeting with a grief counselor. live in walnut creek this morning, par marla tellez, "today in the bay." >> so sad, they were so young. thank you, marla. pleasanton police are asking for help to identify a dead man. someone found the man's body yesterday. detectives are trying to figure out how and why he died, but so far it is called a suspicious death. the man was white in his late

40s or early 50s. he was mostly bald with some gray hair. they say he was about 6 feet tall and 250 pounds. he was wearing gray shorts, a blue long-sleeved sweatshirt and sneakers. if you think you might have information that can help, call police. we have the number on your screen, it is 925-931-5100. rescue and cleanup crews are still searching the rubble in new zealand this morning after a powerful earthquake. the 6.2 quake hit in the city of christchurch during the busy workday. at least 65 people have been killed and untold others are still trapped in collapsed buildings. there are fires said to be burning, power is out. it is actually the second major quake to hit christchurch in about five months. one that hit in september was a lot more powerful but causedless damage. it was deeping into the ground and no deaths. intense violence in libya is causing oil prices to spike this morning. libya produces very little oil, however it is considered to be

high-quality oil. unrest in northern africa is in its eighth day now. people who live in the capital of tripoli report food shortages, gunfire and intimidation by security forces. they are said to be shooting anybody who moves on certain streets including people who tried to remove bodies. libyan leader moammar gadhafi went on state television today to assert his power and to prove his still in the country. facebook founder mark zuckerberg is having trouble defriending one of his facebook followers. now a hearing is set for this morning in the santa clara courtroom. the man has been ordered to stay 300 yards away from zuckerberg. his sister and his girlfriend as well. the retrainer order claims the man attempted to survey an contact zuckerberg and used language threatening to his personal safety. in the pennsylvania past month he showed up on the steps of zuckerberg's home and sent him flowers. the santa clara city council

is holding a meeting tonight to try to save money set aside for a new 49ers stadium. hay hope to preserve the $40 million bond measure approved by the santa clara voters last year. jerry brown was told the project was in place long before his plan to phase out redevelopment agencies. the governor wants to funnel money from the agencies back to the state, but that could essentially kill the stadium deal. this morning one san jose assembly member has a bill on tap to set a higher standard for california drinking water. she will combat the amount of chronium, a known carcinogen in drinking water. erin brockivich will join compost at the meeting later this morning. we'll take you right to the maps to show you what we have for the slowdowns.

right near the maze, no major issues approaching the bay bridge toll plaza. then taking a live look at the toll plaza itself you can see the volume steady and light. no metering lights with a nice steady flow of traffic. we may not get the live shot, so we'll move you to livermore where we have slowing here as well. a steady flow of traffic. a disabled vehicle cleared westbound 580 at vasco with slowing into pleasanttop and dublin. slowdown past 84 coming down any sunol. that is different than the backup we saw earlier in the week. 880 has a smooth drive past the coliseum. a steady flow of lights are filling the maze. still 15 minutes coming out of the 238 interchange off the castro valley and heading up to the bay bridge toll plaza. on the other side of the water, southbound 101 did confirm from chopper that southbound 101 is open but the whipple avenue

off-ramp is where the activity is at the off-ramp. the off-ramp is open but the hit and run caused major damage to the car. injuries resulted as well. we'll follow you down to the south bay because there's fog on 280, but it is not disrupting traffic. 280 is seeing a light know. christina, folks are out of the san jose unified schools this week, but how is the weather for them? the weather will be chilly today. a lot of sunshine. if you want to get outside, you can do so, but you need to be protected. it is cold out there. 35 in concord. 36 degrees in livermore. if you are waking up somewhere outside of this san jose unified school district or taking your kids to school, bundle your children up this morning. we'll rise to a temperature of 45 degrees by noon in livermore. and as we head throughout this afternoon temperatures are going to be pretty mild. so you need the jacket throughout the day today rounding autoat 55 in san jose. 56 in fremont. and 55 degrees today in oakland. so we are going to see a dry day

today. dry tomorrow as well. and then the rain is back heading into thursday. the first round of rain is looking very similar to what we saw over the weekend. just as much moisture, but it will be colder. and as we see the very cold air settle into the bay area, as we head into late friday into saturday morning we are talking about the snow levels possibly falling to 500 feet. so flurries on the valley floor. definitely likely. will we see a dusting of snow on the valley floor? that's the big question all the meteorologists in the area will be wrapping their heads around as we head through the next few days. we'll bring you all of our information as it becomes available to us. back to you guys. thank you very much. 6:12 right now. still to come on "today in the bay," apple looks to have another product in the pipelines. scott mcgrew will join us to tell us about it. and it has been a year since new credit card rules went into effect. we'll find out if they have any impact coming up. and we have breaking news regarding the hijacking of a yacht with a california couple onboard. that's next.

and a live look across the bay area this morning. san francisco in the distance there. it is a chilly start, but at least we are dry and we don't have snow yet. we'll be keeping tabs on your commute and your forecast all morning. ♪ going to the bank without going to the bank... that's a step forward. with chase quickdeposit on your smartphone, you just snap a picture, hit send and done. chase quickdeposit. take a step forward and chase what matters.

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[ male announcer ] learn more about the school of business at phoenix.edu. we have some breaking news just coming in this morning. nbc has confirmed the four american hostages held by captives by pirates off the coast of somali have been killed. a u.s. navy ship engaged the pirates and reports suggest a number of pirates have been killed as well. jean and scott adam from

southern california were on the ship. they do have family in the bay area that were on the yacht. pirates overtook the yacht on friday. now we understand that they were killed by the pirates. we are following these latest developments. of course, we'll update you as soon as we can confirm some more information and try to get more details about what has happened. if these reports are true, it would seem a tragic end on the high seas here from this somali coast today. it is 6:16 right now. the california teachers association is sew showing support for wisconsin unions. they will hold a week are one candlelight vigil tonight on the west steps of the capitol building. state educators and public union employees are also planning to attend the event. the cta has 325,000 members. in the meantime, thousands of protesters in the wisconsin state capitol building there are there again to let their voices be heard on the controversial budget plan. public employee union workers

are protesting governor scott walker's proposal to pay more for benefits and eliminating their collective bargaining rights. the democratic senators have fled the seat to avoid a vote on the issue. protests were held in statehouses across the country on monday as well. some good news for credit card hard holders this morning. the findings come from the consumer financial protection bureau. it will share three key e updates from the year-long study today. it says penalty charges are down over the past year. over-the-limit fees are also down with two-thirds of card companies cutting the fees. meanwhile, a different law, one that protects kids from bad toys may be struck down. scott mcgrew is here with more about this. >> good morning. it seemed like a good idea at the time. you have a list online of all

the kids and toys that have been recalled because they are dangerous. this morning house republicans are promising to repeal the law. the congressman from kansas tells "the new york times" he will make sure the list is never published saying it could be used by shady lawyers looking the sue toy makers unfairly. now the consumer product safety commission recalls about 30 toys and other children's items each year. the recent changes in the law that would have created this list vastly expanded the cpsc's power. speaking of new toys, apple's insider says there will be new laptops come thursday. thursday is steves jobs' 56th birthday. apple releases new updated products on the website real quietly. the new ipad could be delayed until june. and there's a new program you can download to keep an eye on people's facebook status to see if they change their

relationship from in a relationship to single. it is called if breakup note fire. you set it and forget it. when that person you have been stalking has been a breakup you have been alerted. >> hey, you want to go out? >> exactly. they are on the rebound and then you just move in for the kill. >> are you kidding me? >> i'm not kidding you. >> i don't think i have even put my status at all. >> i don't know if i ever have either. >> what? >> i know. >> am i going to get a little warning thing on my facebook page? you have been cut? >> i'll let you know. >> maybe i'll get some interest, i don't know. you better fix your profile. >> okay, isle jup date update my status on the next commercial break. first, there's a countdown on the way for the last launch of the space shuttle "discovery." it will liftoff thursday afternoon heading into the international space station. the flight should have taken place months ago, but a last-minute hydrogen gas leakpostponed the launch.

the lead space walker also was replaced after he was hurt in a bicycle accident. so far the weather looks good for thursday's liftoff. all right. meantime, we do want to check your forecast today. a little different forecast here than the shuttle liftoff. i'm not going to tease her about the conditions, but maybe some flakes. >> i'll combine the two and do a moonwalk for you this morning. good morning to you. we are talking about low snow levels as of saturday. the system of low pressure, a very cold system packing about as much moisture as that which came through over the weekend. that's what we are expecting as we head through the latter part of thursday. that's when it will arrive, but the cold air arrives late friday into saturday morning. and if we do see the very low snow levels that's when we are expecting them. 33 degrees right now in napa. 31 in santa rosa. temperatures will be cold today. when you take your lunch break, you will need that jacket. by 1:00 p.m., 53 degrees in oakland. ending up in the mid-50s.

it will be pretty nice today in the sun. shady conditions are still going to be chilly. 55 degrees in oakland. 55 in san jose. the rest of the week looks pretty good. tomorrow looks good. the first part of thursday looks good as well. the showers arrive late friday. snow levels starting at 2,000 feet dropping to 500 feet on saturday. and i'm checking these temperatures in san francisco. that's the big story. is it going to snow in san francisco? right now it looks like a 40-degree overnight low on saturday morning, which is still too warm. we'll continue to update you if they drop the temperature. every model i look at still going with 40. we'll let you know if it changes. word of the daytime. you have been waiting for this. the secret word today is "casablanca." head to nbcbayarea.com and enter the word of the day. you'll be entered to win one of three fantastic getaways to new york, dallas or los angeles or right here with a stay-cation and a trip to cinequest.

our own local spectacular. have you been to cinequest before, laura? >> yeah, it is great, it is fantastic. >> yeah, it is pretty fun. we want to get you there. we want to send you. >> there's the secret word. >> we now take up an entire row. we didn't use to, now we do. 6:22. the latest and youngest winner of the daytona 500 is coming to the bay area. you'll find out when and where to meet him. experts say the bay area transit agencies could save $100 million by making some changes. details are next. and a live look outside this morning. that's a nice looking shot from chopper flying over the bay area this morning as the sun begins to come up. we thaw out a little bit. we'll keep tabs on what's going on weatherwise all morning.

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there's a view of chopper flying around. i'm not sure exactly where they are. let's check in with mike and find out what's happening on the roads. chopper was heading down to the south bay. we'll check back in with him in a few seconds. westbound it will take you more than a few minutes for 580 out of the altamont pass. we continue to see the buildup out of the wind farms. you saw the windmills there slowing all the way through livermore and into pleasanton. now building up and getting closer to the dublin station. the new dublin station is slow approaching the walkway crossing 580. a 20-minute drive through the area. a pretty good bullening bulk of traffic through the area. the approach to the bay bridge is not so bad. we did have a disabled vehicle reported on 580 coming up past the freeway, but it is out of the lanes. that's a better news for traffic. 880 is a smooth drive northbound with the taillights and somebody

with the headlights. no major slowing, a 15-minute drive from 238 to the coliseum. the other side of the water, foggy conditions with the accident clearing from whipple avenue's off-ramp in the final stages. we'll catch the chopper, they have not made it to the south bay. but we are building up for the flow. thank you so much. the bay area transit agencies could see a saved combined $100 million by cutting costs in one key category. the administrative costs include purchasing, planning, dispatching and marketing. the base bay's 28 transit agencies spends 20% of their budget on marketing and other functions compared to 15% nationwide. it is according to the metropolitan transportation commission. with the $2 billion budget that 5% comes out to $100 million. some transit officials recommend merging certain agencies to try to save money. the bay area race fans can meet the newest daytona 500 champion. trevor bayne will be in san

francisco's ghirardelli square this afternoon for the old-fashioned ice cream social. they will have a trevor bayne sundae complete with all the fixings. fans can get one for free while supplies last. today's event starts at 5:30. it is at ghirardelli square. pretty cool. 6:27 right now. you have two more chances to see a pop icon. find out when prince is going to hit the stage again in oakland. and a bay area fire station reopens today. find out why it was closed in the first place. and a memorial is shaping up for two teens killed in the east bay. a live report is coming up next. and a live peek out there at san francisco this morning. it looks chilly, and it is. christina will talk about how we'll warm up today coming up. ♪

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snow still on the bay area peaks all around us this morning, but will we get more and will we see it in bay area neighborhoods? christina has details on that coming up. and another sad day in walnut creek as students head back to class after losing two of their own in a tragic rafting accident over the weekend. good morning, i'm marla tellez. i'll tell you what the high school has planned for students coming up in a live report. lots of folks heading back to school on a busy tuesday, and a cold one as well. february 22nd, this is "today in the bay." good morning, everybody. thank you for joining us. the thyme is 6:30. >> we have an update on breaking news this morning. nbc confirmed the four american hostages held captives by pirates off the somali coast

have been killed. the u.s. navy ship engaged with pirates and reports suggest a number of pirates have also been killed. jean and scott adam were from southern california, phyllis mckay and bob regal were from seattle with family ties here in the bay area. pirates were said to have overtaken the yacht on friday. and we understand they were apparently -- the people were actually killed by the pirates. we are following the developments as they come into our newsroom on breaking news. we'll, of course, update you as we get new information this morning. all right. the other big question in the bay area today, will we see more snow on city streets later on this week? christina has a look at today's forecast and what we can expect later on. >> yeah, brent, it is a hard forecast for us this week. we are looking towards the possibility of snow on the valley floor early saturday morning. now, the timing of the approaching system is really going to be key. as we head through the next few days we'll time it perfectly.

right now it is just kind of questionable. right now i can safely say snow levels will drop to 500 feet. livermore, 400 feet. expect a dusting of snow. i think some of it will stick as we are seeing a pretty big moisture-rich system approach the coast. foggy conditions are happening this morning. we'll tell you what's happening along the peninsula with low visibilities for the next few hours. as we have a lot of moisture leftover from the system coming through over the weekend, high pressure builds in come pressing the moisture, hence we have the fog. also dealing with a bit of frost in the east bay where temperatures are now right about at freezing. 34 in concord. one degree above in fairfield, now at 33. watch out for ice on the bridges and overpasses. any problems out there right now, mike? not related to the ice, but you are giving the warning, we are extending it to the antioch bridge. it is a smaller bridge that won't see any black ice, but further north you'll see the

issue. also highway 4, you can see the red speed at 10 miles per hour at horizon. we had an earlier stalled that cleared quickly but caused a backup past eighth street. there's the drive in towards pittsburgh and bay point. the rest of the bay area is moving smoothly where the metering lights have been turned on. there's the fast track lanes. the cash lanes fill in as well. no problems off the 880 overcrossing. a smooth drive into the city past the metering lights. the commute is back after yesterday's vacation. a live view from the chopper with heavier volume near northbound 101 with moving lights at the 680/280 interchange. this is building there uh through the south bay. schools are off in san jose this week, so it could mean a lighter flow. back to you. students are back in walnut creek today for the first time since two classmates died in a drafting accident over the weekend. marla tellez is in walnut creek with how the boys are being

remembered today. marla? >> reporter: yes, school starts at 8:00 this morning, so when students start arriving in the next hour or so they will have the option of meeting with grief counselors. counselors are scheduled to be on hand here at this school this morning to help students deal with the heart-breaking loss of their classmates, 16-year-old matthew miller and 17-year-old gavin powell. they were juniors at this high school. they were also best friends. a memorial this morning is building where the boys launched their inflatable raft and entered the creek on saturday. it is actually just a mile from the high school. friends are posting their thoughts and leaving behind flowers. much of the creek is fenced off. and it is not meant to be accessed by the public. this morning autopsy results confirm the teens drowned. they were wearing helmets but were not wearing life jackets. as students head back to class this morning after the long holiday weekend it is safe to say they will do so with heavy

hearts. >> i am shocked. i was kind of surprised because why would you go out in the rain. and i know they are smarter than that. they are nice, smart, intelligent, they both wanted to go to college. they had high expectancies of themselves. they were both really motivated. >> reporter: there are a couple ways to pay your respects. first in walnut creek, a candlelight vigil is scheduled for wednesday night from 6:00 to 8:00 at the southerland drive entrance to shell ridge open space. then this coming weekend a memorial service is planned for matthew miller at 2:00 sunday afternoon at congregation benet tikba. as students head back to class after the long holiday weekend they have the option of meeting with grief counselors here. marla tellez for "today in the bay." thank you, marla. >> today parents, students and teachers in the mount diablo

school district will likely find out the future of their schools. the school board is expected to vote on school closures today. earlier this month trustees agreed to close glen brooke middle and holbrooke middle schools in concord. last week they weighed in on closing silverwood elementary to save $1.5 million. tonight's meeting is at 7:30 at monte gardens in gone mccord. a livermore fire station shut down last july will reopen today. it is on airway boulevard and was closed to control costs and let department leaders try to evaluate the most effective way to serve the community with limited funds. that closure helped save $1.3 million. no new jobs are going to be added because the station is reopening. the current 16 firefighters in livermore will be redistributed. the san francisco police commission is planning to discuss the possible use of tasers by its police force. it will hold a meeting this wednesday night to hear both sides of the issue. some commissioners question the

cost and effectiveness of tasers. san francisco mayor ed lee backs the idea of tasers but wants to explore other alternatives to lethal force. the commission voted against a taser proposal last year. one showdown but now there are two to go. prince just added another show to his run in oakland's oracle arena. the third show will be on thursday, but the next one, number two on the list, is tomorrow night. fans say he put on a great performance last night. prince just announced his bay area performance for his "welcome to america" tour just last week. at the time there were two. it went so well last night there's a third show added. >> lucky us. 6:37 right now. what a beautiful look behind us this morning. a police officer is attacked right in front of his own dashboard camera. you'll see it coming up. and it looks like charlie sheen wants to return to one of his most famous movie roles. we'll tell you which bay area baseball star might provide a

little bit of advice for him. we are taking a live look outside. look at that over san francisco this morning. a gorgeous, clear morning. but because it is so clear, it is very cold. we'll check in with christina who has a look at our forecast.

more snow on the way to mammoth. you see that city right there? san francisco, is there snow on the way to the city this weekend? that's the question all the meteorologists will be pontificating heading throughout the next few days. right now the possibility is there. we are still looking at it. still unlikely, but it depends on the system and where it crosses over the bay area. and we are going to continue to watch that for you. right now it does look like it will happen, snow levels fall to 500 feet for places like livermore. they will get a dusting of snow. very unusual, but looks likely. as we head into saturday morning, san jose is at 87 feet. up likely for you. same for san francisco. but i do think some cities across the bay area, especially those inland will see a little bit of snow on the city's streets. we'll continue to update you as our system is still a ways away.

we'll keep watching as it gets closer. every model is bringing our snow levels way down. 56 degrees in livermore today. today will be a nice day. lots of sunshine. you'll need the jacket throughout the day. and i think that as we head through tomorrow it is going to be even cooler. so it is just one of those weeks where it is chilly all week long. we'll take you through the coming days, heading into tomorrow, another round of a.m. frost with temperatures towards freezing. 56 degrees by thursday. showers arriving some time after noon. then friday temperatures fall to 36 degrees. so our snow levels will fall to 2,000 feet friday morning. then saturday morning snow levels at 500 feet. and i can only imagine what a light dusting of snow could do to the roadways around here, mike. how about you? you know, i hope you can only imagine that because i don't want to see what happens. we know what happens. slippery conditions when the hail hit a couple weeks ago on 280. we'll watch your reports carefully.

meanwhile, my report is 80 coming off hercules westbound down to golden gate field is a good amount of slowing. it is just the return of the commute traffic after yesterday's holiday. a lot of folks are heading past the merge off the richmond bridge. a smooth drive through berkeley with metering lights on. here's a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza. the backup is forming in all lanes to the 880 overcrossing. a smooth approach to the maze. that's better news. slow through livermore. we have a live look at sensors showing a 24-minute drive. sunol is moving pretty good through 680 into the south bay. the chopper is taking a live look out there. we'll watch the buildup at 880 and 280. just metering lights. back to you guys. 6:43 right now. the warriors are back in action hoping to pick up where they left off before the all-star break. they are looking for the fourth win in a row. they are going to have to beat the boston celtics to do it. tipoff is at 7:30 at oracle arena. you can watch it on comcast

sports net bay area. meantime, the sharks are trying to keep up their winning streak after winning three in a row. they started a three-day road trip. in sharks and red wings play at 4:30 on comcast sports net ya. you can get your first look at the 2011 san francisco giants actually in action starting today. they will stream spring training live on their website starting at 10:00 this morning. pat burrell is out because of some dental work. brian wilson is back. he had a sore back, but he's back now. we have a link to their web cam. go to nbcbayarea.com and then just search giants. speaking of wilson, he went and spent a little time with troubled actor charlie sheen. sheen sent a private jet to pick wilson up on friday and had him back in arizona in time for saturday workouts. sheen is dealing with drug issues and is taking a break from his tv show on cbs. however, wilson says sheen wants his advice in preparation for potentially a new major league

movie. sheep starred in the first two films as a pitcher named rick "wild thing" vaughan and kind of wanted to talk to wilson to see -- >> he is a bit e centric himself. >> he wanted to see if wilson had tips for him. do you have something that bothers you so much you would like to watch it get crushed by a monster truck? we'll see how we can help coming up. california is one of several states facing tough budget crunches. we'll have more on the pension crackdown that's happening all across the country coming up in a live report from washington. and a police officer is attacked right in front of his own dashboard camera. see more of the attack coming up. and a live look outside this morning across the bay bridge. folks making their way into the city for work. you can make out the lights at the toll plaza across the water there. we'll track the commute coming up in a few more minutes. [ female announcer ] shopping with nutrition in mind

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we have an update once again on a breaking story we are following this morning. nbc news has confirmed that the four american hostages held captive by pirates off the somali coast have been killed. a u.s. navy ship open gauged the pirates. there are reports that a number of pirates have been killed as well. jean and scott adam from southern california were on that yacht and have family in the bay area. phyllis mckay and bob riegal were from seattle. we understand all four of them were killed by the pirates. we are trying to get more information on specifically what

happened and what went wrong out there. we are also trying to contact some of the family members this morning to get new information and keep you updated. as soon as we get that we will let you know. a tragic ending there. 6:48 right now. a police dash cam caught an attack on a police officer. the western union ohio officer pulled over a truck with expired tacks early sunday. take a look at this here. the video shows the driver getting in the officer's face when he pulled out a taser. another man came in and attacked him from behind. the driver kicked the officer when he was down. when he stopped the officer managed to pull out his gun and actually hold the men there until backup arrived. the men now face assault charges. it was all caught on tape, there's the evidence. the officer suffered cuts and a broken nose. we want to go back to the pirates story. we mentioned they had family in the bay area. nbc bay area's bob redell is following that to talk to the

family this morning. he is joining us live, today. >> reporter: we have had no luck in reaching out to phyllis mckay's aunt who lives here in oakley nor her mother who lives in san francisco. it was phyllis mckay and her friend and this other couple from southern california, you should be able to see them in the photos right there, who were onboard the yacht called "the quest." they were trying to get to aman when last week their yacht was hijacked by pirates off the coast of somali. that's a big problem out there. it is something that people are well aware of. apparently the skipper of the yacht was aware of this and they thought they had done research to be far enough away from the pirates. but obviously it turned out not to be the case. in recent days a u.s. navy warship was shadowing the boat. then around 10:00 our time last night the navy was in negotiations with these pirates, presumingly over radio

communications. during the time the navy heard gunshots. they responded. they fired back. in the end when they got onboard "the quest" they captured 13 somali pirates. at least two of the pirates were dead. and unfortunately they tried to save the four americans but they had no luck. so phyllis mckay whose mom lives here in the bay area, her mom in san francisco, her aunt here in oakley, has passed away with the three other americans. this is confirmed by the u.s. defense department. reporting live in oakley, bob redell for "today in the bay." >> we'll continue to follow this developing story this morning. thank you, bob. 6:51 right now. budget problems continue to plague states across the country. california is certainly no exception. billions of dollars needs to be trimmed. "today in the bay's" kristen dahlgren is live with a look at where lawmakers stand. >> reporter: good morning, laura. we are seeing the budget crisis

here on every level in washington, and now we are seeing protests spread around the country as well. it started in wisconsin, so let's begin with that where we have seen the biggest protests and a stalemate right now of the democratic senators showing snow sign to go back and vote on the governor's plan to end collective bargaining for public employees. an issue in all of the states are massive budget deficits, tax receipts declining, property values declining, so consumption is down. california's shortfall is $23.4 billion for the 2012 budgetenings that's dlm one-third of the entire 2011 budget. that will give you an idea of how serious the situation is. a huge debate over the fiscal crisis in california. budget committees now in both houses have given preliminary approval to governor jerry brown's proposal to cut spending

by $12.5 billion. but the future of that in the entire legislature is still uncertain. we are also seeing another debate over public pensions in california. as these protests spread around the country a lot of people wouldn't be surprised the see them in virtually every state. back to you. >> states, cities, counties, we are all in a jam. meantime, we have huge news apparently from couch potato land today. >> yes, please. netflix stock is down 4% on this news. amazon.com just fired a shot at hulu and netflix offering 5,000 on-demand movies and tv shows for free. sort of. you can read about it on this web page. it is on amazon.com. you have to pay $80 a year. amazon prime is the free shipping program. meanwhile, netflix has competition.

apple will give the los gatos company a break. apple is not going to ask netflix for the 30% cut in subscription costs when you use an ipad to watch netflix. the plan by apple launched an informal fdc investigation into apple. every other company that has an apple app pays the 30% cut. apparently netflix will not. so, again, lots of companies saying this is not fair. it is not fair period, much less not fair if you are not going to make netflix pay. >> thank you very much. do you have stuff from an ex laying around the house that you would like to get rid of? >> maybe a strange gift from a mother-in-law that you have no use for. we have a way to help you dispose of that stuff. i guess it would be a satisfying way for some folks. >> for some, yeah. >> how about crushing it with a monster truck? it is how you can take part. we want to hear your story. send bob redell a picture of what you want crushed and why. send it to his e-mail at

bob.redell@nbcuni.com. he's going to pick the best stories and invite you to come out live to the monster truck jam at the oakland coliseum this friday morning and watch your unwanted stuff get crushed. again, that's bob.redell@nbcuni.com. r-e-d-e-l-l. >> interesting. i wonder if i have a snowman to be crushed by friday morning, you know? we might. >> a real snowman. >> a big all the snowman. >> brent has been teasing her all morning saying there's a blizzard coming. the grave digger can take out a snowman. we can keep him busy. 4 degrees in concord, 34 degrees in concord. 36 in santa cruz. a chilly morning, grab the jacket. 56 degrees in fremont. 55 in san jose. 58 in almaden valley. big-time changes on the way as

of late thursday. we'll take you through the extended forecast. showers arrive afternoon on thursday. snow levels fall to 2,000 feet friday morning. we'll see rain on friday continuing into the first part of saturday. and it looks like if timing is just right with this system we could see snow lels fall below 500 feet. but for now we'll play it safe keeping it at 500, meaning a dusting of snow over livermore. we'll check the east bay and bay area overall commute with mike inouye. there you go. we'll take the east bay because we have the curious conditions. not as curious as snow might be later on, but right now we are looking at the east shore freeway. a jam coming off hercules and highway 4 down to the merge off of that richmond bridge. there's the slowdown for interstate 880. the travel time for the east shore is at 35 minutes off the cartinas bridge. berk lee is close to the limit. that's better news through that portion. 580 and 880 are looking really nice for those approaches to the bay bridge. a live look at the oakland

coliseum camera shows a very light volume northbound. things have calmed down quite a bit for the freeway through that portion of the east bay. southbound through 680 in the sunol grade, a live shot shows slowing approaching the bay. a live look from the chopper over the san mateo bridge, no problems except for the wind and the fog along the coast along 280 in san mateo. it is cold out there, thank you. thank you for joining us this morning. the "today" show is coming up next. >> we'll have a local news update for you in a half hour. try to stay warm this morning. see you back here later on. >> bye-bye. twizzlers. the twist you can't resist.

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